VIDEO: The Secret Life of Paper

Did you know that the most important source of biodiversity on the planet – the rainforest – is being decimated so that you can have paper towels to wipe up? Did you know that the paper industry is the 4th largest emitter of greenhouse gases? Without those rainforests to suck up that extra carbon, we’re going to be in a bad state! Learn more about the Secret Life of Paper with Inform, Inc.’s informative and rousing video (after the jump).

The video is part of INFORM‘s Secret Life Series, which explores the environmental effects of everyday consumer items. The Secret Life of Paper details the environmental impact of the paper industry and suggests solutions to our paper consumption problem. It also addresses many complex questions surrounding paper recycling: Where does paper go when you recycle it? Why should you change your paper habits? What alternate types of sources are used for papermaking? What can you do to reduce your paper footprint? How do you recycle paper?

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[…] Paper is useful stuff, but it’s the scourge of forests — nearly 4 billion trees are cut down each year to make paper. Thanks to new technology funded by the US Department of Agriculture, we could soon be moving toward a paperless society. Researchers from the University of California have developed a new type of treeless, inkless paper that can be reused up to 20 times. In space news, astronauts on the International Space Station recently used a 3D printer to print out a socket wrench, marking the beginning of a new era in space-based 3D printing. The development could revolutionize not only the space station’s ability to get things done, but also the future of space exploration. If we’re going to spend more time in space, astronauts are going to need better space suits. A team of scientists is working to develop living, bacteria-filled space suits that support human life. Four decades ago, scientists from MIT developed a computer model to determine whether the path of industrialized society is leading to global collapse. They published their findings in a book, titled The Limits to Growth, which forecasts a grim outcome for humanity. The results were widely dismissed in the decades that followed, but new research finds that the book’s projections were dead on. On the green design front, the Swiss architecture firm Bureau A built a home that looks like nothing more than a large boulder, blending into the landscape in the Swiss Alps. Meanwhile, Nest, the California company best known for its smart thermostats, redesigned a gondola at the Squaw Valley ski resort, transforming the interior into an adorable, tiny “house in the sky.” The cozy space features cedar planking, Pendleton-wrapped benches, framed artwork and curtains. And in business news, eBay just became the 100th company to cut ties with ALEC, the nonprofit organization funded by corporate interests that lobbies to dilute and overturn environmental protection laws. […]